TWELVE CHAROSET FROM BOOKS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS
PLEASE CITE THIS SOURCE WHEN REPRINTING THESE RECIPES:
The Gourmet Jewish Cook by Judy Zeidler, (William Morrow & Co., 1988)
Charoset is a mixture that reminds us of the mortar that the Israelites used to make bricks when they were slaves in Egypt. It is generally made of fruit and nuts with wine or juice and spices. Thank you to my colleague and friend, Rabbi Ari Cartun who passed on a dozen recipes for charoset which come from all over the world.
PLEASE QUOTE THE SOURCE WHEN USING THESE RECIPES.
HAPPY PASSOVER!
1. BASIC HAROSET
8-10 large apples
10-12 oz. chopped pecans, almonds and/or walnuts
1 1/2 cup sweet wine
1 tbsp. cinnamon
4 tbsp. sugar, or to taste
Peel, core and coarsely chop apples. Add nuts, wine, cinnamon and sugar. If sweeter taste is desired, add additional sugar.
Source: The Cookbook for All Seasons, Sisterhood of Temple Emanuel of Houston, Texas
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2. YEMENITE HAROSET
1/2 lb. pitted dates
1/4 lb. raisins
4 dried figs
1 1/2 c. Sweet wine
1/4 lb. walnuts
1/4 lb. almonds
2 Tbsp. Sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamom
Place fruits in food processor or blender. Finely chop. Add 1/2 cup of the
wine. Mix again, at low speed. Add remaining ingredients
and mix at low speed until nearly smooth. Refrigerate.
Yield: 8 servings
Source: Peninsula Daily News, 3/31/93
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3. DESSERT HAROSET FROM ERETZ YISROEL
2 chopped apples
6 mashed bananas
1 juiced and grated lemon
1 juiced and grated orange
1-1/4 cup chopped dates
4 teaspoons chopped candied orange peel
Nuts
1 cup red wine
Matzah meal
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Sugar
Blend the fruits and nuts. Add wine. Add as much matzah meal as the
mixture
will take and still remain soft. Add cinnamon and
sugar to taste. Mix well and chill before serving.
Source: Shayla (bkosky@kosky.com)
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4. SYRIAN HAROSET
10 large pitted dates
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 orange, zest and juice
1/2 cup sweet Passover wine
1 cup chopped walnuts
Makes about 1 cup.
Combine all the ingredients except the nuts in a saucepan and heat until
the dates absorb the liquid and begin to get mushy, about 5
to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in nuts. Let cool for several
hours to absorb liquid and ripen flavor. Mash with a fork until
the mixture resembles a thick paste. Spread on matzo and enjoy.
Yield: 1 cup
Source: Washington Post Food Section, Wednesday, April 8, 1998.
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5. PERSIAN HAROSET
25 dates, pitted and diced
1/2 c unsalted pistachios
1/2 c almonds
1/2 c golden raisins
1 1/2 peeled apples, cored and diced
1 pomegranates
1 orange, peeled and diced
1 banana, sliced
1/2 c sweet red wine, to 1 cup
1/4 c cider vinegar
1/2 tbsp. cayenne
1 tbsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp. black pepper
Combine all the fruits and nuts. Add the wine and vinegar until a pasty consistency is achieved. Add the spices and blend well.
Adjust seasonings.
Yield: 5 cups
Source: Mohtaran Shirazi via The Jewish Holiday Kitchen, Joan Nathan 1988
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6. SEVEN-FRUIT HAROSET FROM SURINAM
8 oz. unsweetened coconut
8 oz. chopped walnuts or:
8 oz. grated almonds
1/4 c sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
8 oz. raisins
8 oz. dried apples
8 oz. dried prunes
8 oz. dried apricots
8 oz. dried pears
4 oz. cherry jam
sweet red wine
Combine everything except the jam and wine in a pot. Cover with water and
simmer over low heat. Periodically, add small amounts of
water to prevent sticking. Cook at least 90 minutes. When it is cohesive,
stir in the jam and let stand until cool. Add enough sweet
wine to be absorbed by the charoset and chill.
Yield: 5 cups
Source: "The Jewish Holiday Kitchen" by Joan Nathan 1988
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7. SEPHARDIC HAROSET
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup ground walnuts
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup prunes
1/2 cup dried pears
12 oz. jar cherry preserves
1/3 cup Malaga wine
Mix coconut, walnuts, sugar and cinnamon. Chop the dried fruits. Combine
the two mixes and place in a pot, cover with water.
Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for
approximately 1 hour. When the mixture begins to thicken and
come together, stir in the cherry preserves. Remove from heat; add the
wine and let cool.
Source: Something Different for Passover by Zell Schulman
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8. LARRY BAIN'S BUBIE'S HAROSET
1/2 lb. walnuts
1/4 lb. dried apricots
1/4 lb. dried prunes, without pits
3 peeled apples, cored and quartered
1 large navel oranges, with skin, quartered
1/2 c sweet wine
2 tbsp. brandy
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. matzo meal, or as needed
Using the steel blade of a food processor, chop very fine, but not to a
paste, the walnuts, apricots, prunes, dates, apples and orange.
Add the wine, brandy, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and lime juice. If needed,
add enough matzo meal to make a mortar-like
consistency.
Yield: 6 cups
Source: Larry Bain via The Jewish Holiday Kitchen, Joan Nathan 1988
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9. VENETIAN CHAROSET
1+1/2 cups chestnut paste
1/2 cup pine nuts
10 oz. dates, chopped
Grated rind of one orange
12 oz. figs, chopped
1/2 cup white raisins
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1/4 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup chopped almonds
honey to bind
Combine all ingredients, gradually adding just enough brandy and honey
to make the mixture bind. Other Italian Charoset recipes include mashed
up bananas, apples, hard-boiled eggs, crushed matzah, pears, and lemon.
Source: Maxine Wolfson (MLW@MATH.AMS.ORG)
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10. ASHKENAZIC APPLE-NUT HAROSET
6 peeled apples, coarsely chopped
2/3 c chopped almonds
3 tbsp. sugar, or to taste
1/2 tsp cinnamon
grated rind of 1 lemon
4 tbsp. sweet red wine
Combine all, mixing thoroughly. Add wine as need. Blend to desired
texture-
some like it coarse and crunchy, others prefer it ground
to a paste. Chill.
Yield: Makes 3 cups.
Source: "The Jewish Holiday Kitchen" by Joan Nathan 1988
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11. PROCESSOR SEPHARDIC HAROSET
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup ground walnuts
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup dried apples
1/2 cup dried prunes
1/2 cup dried pears
12 oz. jar cherry preserves
1/2 cup Malaga wine
Processor method:
1. Insert metal blade. Combine coconut, walnuts,
sugar, and cinnamon with 2 0r 3 pulses. Add diced fruits and chop
with 3 or 4 pulses, until mixture is in medium sized pieces.
2. Place in a 4-quart pot, adding water to cover. Simmer uncovered,
stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for approximately one
hour. When mixture begins to thicken, and come together, stir in
cherry preserves. Remove from heat, ass wine and let cool.
Conventional method: 1. Mix coconut, walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon
together. Chop dried fruit with a grinder or in a chopping bowl.
Proceed to step 2 above.
Yield: about 3 cups
Source: Something Different for Passover by Zell J. Schuman (Triad Publishing, 1985)
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12. CALIFORNIA HAROSET
1 large avocado, peeled and diced
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup raisins
4 seedless dates
2 figs or prunes
1 whole orange, peel and sections
2 tbsp. apple juice
2 tbsp. matzo meal
Toss the avocado and lemon juice in a bowl. Set aside. In a
processor or blender, place the almonds, raisins, dates, and
figs. Process until coarsely shopped. Add the orange peel
and orange sections and process briefly to combine. Add the
avocado and process just 1 or 2 seconds more. Transfer the
mixture to a glass bowl and gently fold in the apple juice and
the matzo meal. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the
refrigerator.
Yield: 3 cups
Source: The Gourmet Jewish Cook by Judy Zeidler, (William Morrow & co., 1988)